Lost in the Redwoods
by SpeedyQueen
Summary: Sam and Dean are just taking a break from their last hunt when a misunderstanding separates them and leaves Sam vulnerable.


The forests of Northern California blurred past the foggy windows of the Impala. They were heading back down South after investigating a haunting near the border of Oregon. A quaint city called Medford had been terrorized by an old pioneer family who had died there many years ago. Sam and Dean took care of it without a hitch, as per usual. They were still feeling pretty good about it as the tall Red Wood canopy shaded this middle part of their journey down to the Southern coast.

Sam had gotten a nice little bruise from our encounter, however, forming from left temple to right cheek. It was really nothing, though, except to the people manning the motels and restaurants we visited on our trip down. Civilians always seemed to overreact when it came to injuries that the siblings acquired. Sam's injuries in particular generally garnered special attention. Dean seldom felt self-conscious around Sam, until Sam looked more beat up than someone could easily brush off. People felt protective of Sammy on instinct, and Dean looked like the aggressor to someone who didn't know us better. Still, he brushed it off, knowing that they would probably never see these people again in their life.

This innate over-protectiveness is how Sam and Dean would get into trouble just a few hours further down the road, in a little town we stopped at to get a bite to eat. The diner seemed harmless enough, with the aging waitress and decrepit regulars eyeing us with the usual amount of distrust, but nothing more. Nothing more, that is, until the waitress came over to take their order.

"How can I help you two folks this evening?" greeted the waitress, looking like she was still wearing the same apron she got on her first day of work, judging by the intensely faded look it had.

"I would love to try your biggest burger and side of fried, ma'am" Dean responded, attempting to look as cheerful as possible despite the fatigue of being on the road all day starting to catch up with him.

The waitress- Cindy according to the worn name tag- just nodded as she jotted down the order apathetically and turned to face Sam. "And what about you sweety?" she said, her eyes widening noticeably as she took in Sam's rather large shiner.

"Just the chicken club for me, please" Sam offered, trying not to draw any attention to the hunters and their battle-scars.

The waitress curtly nodded, before dashing into the kitchen, looking like she was about ready to burst.

Sam gave Dean a look, knowing that some unwanted attention was probably coming their way.

"It'll be fine Sam" he answered the unspoken question, "if anyone asks what happened, we'll just tell them you fell when we were on a hike or something. Come on, dad has been dealing with this crap for years, your older brother can handle it just fine."

A shadow of a smile flicked on Sam's face before it returned to its normal brooding, worrying self.

Just then the waitress returned… with reinforcements. The cook from the kitchen came out with her, weilding something that looked eerily similar to a meat clever.

"Honey, I want you to back away from the booth, it's going to be okay now." The waitress croaked towards Sam, reaching her hand out in a protective gesture. It seemed like the waitress had had a good enough five second read on the situation to think that Sam was being abused.

Sam wasn't having any of it, all too sure of what these people were insinuating about Dean.

"Look, I know what you guys are thinking. I fell down while we were on a hike, okay? He didn't hurt me, I swear. If you could just back off, we'll leave and you don't have to worry about me." Sam pleaded, not liking how close the gigantic cook was getting to Dean.

"He's my brother! He wouldn't hurt me!" Sam's voice seemed to have risen half an octave as the waitress was now trying to grab Sam away.

"Look I didn't hurt anybody, okay? We're just siblings and we'll get out of your hair if you would get that thing out of my face!" Dean directed defiantly at the cook, and more importantly towards the cleaver he was now sticking in his face.

Everything that was pleaded was in vain, however, when a few of the regular patrons staggered towards the scene, and the siblings were quickly outnumbered. Dean was grabbed and forced away from Sam, who was now swarmed by women, quickly blocking his last glimpse of brown hair completely. He was made to walk out back, where the men who had grabbed him from the booth were now trying to scare Dean into admitting something that he couldn't even imagine doing.

After Dean was dragged outside, the coven of women huddled around Sam quickly dropped as they went away to go home with fresh gossip. It seemed that once the danger had passed, they had all decided that Sam didn't need the herem one women stayed behind to "comfort" Sam.

This mistaken good-Samaritan was no match for the man who came in like a hurricane to take Sam, and was knocked out cold from a single, accurate punch within seconds. Now, Sam was sitting close to the front door, but this time vulnerable without Dean or any witnesses.

The man quickly grabbed Sam before any alarm bells had time to fully register what was happening, and a damp white cloth appeared to prevent any feasible defense. Sam was down for the count as quick as the cloth covered any sources of oxygen, and the abductor was left with a limp body to haul up and take out the door before the waitress returned from the rest room.

Meanwhile outside of the restaurant, at the back, Dean was getting his ass handed to him by a bunch of locals and a cook with some kind of grudge against him. He futilely tried to make his case, hating the fact the Sam was alone right now, even though he had no good reason to be worried.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you people this! I didn't hit Sam!"

No one listened, and the punches kept coming. Dean grabbed at his stomach on reflex as a particularly powerful fist knocked the wind out of him.

"Please let me get back inside to Sam, I promise we can get this sorted out."

Again, the locals did not seem to want to listen to reason, and continued the barrage of assault on Dean. They only haulted their attack when Cindy burst through the back door with panic written on her face.

"Someone just came in and took the girl! No one was watching her and we didn't think…" She gasped out.

Everyone then turned to look at Dean as he made the strangest noise, for he had suddenly forgotten how to breathe.

"Oh God, Sammy."

The men guiltily stewed in the sudden silence as Dean blurted out:

"You bastards think I abused my sister and now a real monster has taken her!"

He jumped up to his feet and into the run-down diner. Screaming Sam's name over and over again, though he knew it was no use. He ran outside and nearly choked again when there was no trace of his sister there either.

He stood still for a second as an old phrase seeped into his train of thought.

"Look after your sister, Dean."

He had let her down. He was her big brother and let her get kidnapped. Too bad for whoever took her, she wasn't going to stay missing for long.


End file.
